Werner Herzog

For over four decades, German director Werner Herzog has blessed moviegoers with his singular vision, one that consistently manages to push cinematic boundaries by blurring the line between reality and fiction. One of the leaders of what has become known as the German New Wave, Herzog has cemented his place in the annals of film history with legendary films like Fitzcarraldo, Aguirre, The Wrath of God, Rescue Dawn, and the documentaries Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World. His next film Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is a boozy update of the 1992 classic cop drama and stars Nicolas Cage.

Appeal

By all accounts, Werner Herzog is an eccentric; a man so passionate about his craft that he will stop at nothing to get a film made. Some may even call him an egomaniac -- an obsessive so possessed with filmmaking that little else in his life actually matters. The workaholic has made over 40 films, which would probably explain why he's been married four times. But in 1999, the director married Lena Pisetski who he currently shares a house with in Los Angeles.

Success

For almost half a century, Werner Herzog has been one of the most prolific artists in the world. Not only does he direct films, but he's also a celebrated screenwriter, actor and opera director. On Werner Herzog's days off, he'll probably churn out a couple of short films and write a novella for the hell of it. But just because Herzog's big on quantity, it doesn't mean he's skimping on the quality. To even attempt to name all the awards that his films have won or been nominated for over the years would be an exercise in futility, but here's a few notables. Fitzcarraldo won him the best director award at 1982 Cannes Film Festival and his film Where The Green Ants Dream was nominated for The Golden Palm in 1984. His first ever feature Signs Of Life won the Silver Berlin Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and his documentaries Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World were award darlings with the latter earning Herzog his first Oscar nod for best documentary feature. Herzog is also the only director to have made a film on every continent and named as the 35th Greatest Director of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

Werner Herzog Biography

Werner Herzog did not fall into filmmaking accidentally. For him, it was always written in the stars. At 14, he stumbled on an encyclopedia entry about filmmaking, which he claims fully equipped him with all the tools necessary to make movies. He stole a 35mm camera from the Munich Film School and famously declared, "I don't consider it theft -- it was just a necessity -- I had some sort of natural right for a camera, a tool to work with." Herzog studied at the University of Munich and later earned a scholarship to Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, but dropped out after only a few days. In the early 1960s, Herzog worked night shifts as a welder to help fund his early films.

werner herzog break onto the scene with signs of life

After traveling through Europe and North America for several years, Werner Herzog returned to his native Germany in 1968 and met fellow directors Volker Schlöndorff and Rainer Werner Fassbinder, colleagues who along with Herzog, would become the spearheads of the German New Wave. His first feature Sign of Life -- which tells the story of a young German soldier who goes mad while defending a useless ammunition dump from nonexistent enemies. The film was a commercial and critical success and earned Herzog his first major award -- the Berlin International Film Festival's Silver Bear. Herzog followed with the surreal Even Dwarfs Started Small and Fata Morgana before directing what would become one of the hallmarks of his career.

werner herzog directs aguirre, the wrath of god

By far one of his most famous films, Aguirre, The Wrath Of God -- which Herzog also wrote -- features a Spanish soldier who leads a group of conquistadors down the Amazon River of the legendary city of gold, El Dorado. It marked Herzog's first collaboration with the prolific German actor Klaus Kinski, who would go on to star in four more Herzog films. Kinski -- famous for his unbridled lunacy -- shared an apartment with Herzog when they were teenagers and in an incident that has become a piece of Herzog-Kinski folklore went on a two day tirade in which he smashed every bit of furniture in their apartment. During the filming of Aguirre, Herzog threatened to shoot Kinski if he left the grueling shoot, which he often threatened to do. Nevertheless, Aguirre, The Wrath of God saw enormous art-house success outside of Germany, with legendary Village Voice film critic J. Hoberman saying "Aguirre is not just a great movie but an essential one... Herzog's third feature...is both a landmark film and a magnificent social metaphor." In 1999, Rolling Stone included on their "100 Maverick Movies of the Last 100 Years" list, and Time magazine included it on their "All Time 100 Best Films" list. Entertainment Weekly also named it the 46th greatest cult film ever made.

werner herzog directs fitzcarraldo

With films like Nosferatu the Vampyre and Woyzeck, Werner Herzog managed to remain relevant as an artist, but it wasn't until he released the epic Fitzcarraldo in 1982 that he would achieve the same level of success as Aguirre, The Wrath of God. The fantastic tale about a would-be rubber baron who has to pull a steamship over a mountain in order to access a rich rubber territory was legendary for the way in which the plight of the main character mirrored the obsessive tendencies of its director. The film -- which also starred Klaus Kinski -- was essential Herzog in so many ways, and best showcased his compulsion to confront real life danger during his shoots. Kinski was apparently so disruptive during filming, that the Peruvian natives that populated the set offered to murder Kinski. Herzog declined because he needed to finish the film. Nice. It turns out Herzog made the right call as the film was released to worldwide acclaim and earned Herzog the Best Director award at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival.

werner herzog becomes an acclaimed documentarian

Werner Herzog -- famous for being shot with an air gun during an interview and continuing to answer questions, and for eating his own shoe after losing a bet -- has slowly morphed into one of the world's most popular documentary filmmakers. Grizzly Man, which chronicles the life and death of bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell, was an awards darling in 2005 and Encounters At The End Of The World, Herzog's ode to Antarctica, earned the director his first-ever Academy Award Nomination for best director. His sudden surge in popularity in North America -- which was also increased by his Christian Bale-starring Rescue Dawn -- has him directing Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, an updated version of the Harvey Keitel classic now starring Nicolas Cage. America... get ready.